Children and young people have safe spaces to play, hang out and have fun.

Children and young people have time and opportunities to play, hang out and have fun across the city. They feel safer as there is less crime, vandalism and litter.

“Play is a very misused adult word. To a child it is a way of life. To an adult it often means unimportant recreational things we do when we are not working.”

Jean-Jaques Rousseau

Did you know that children have a legislated right to play? Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) states that children have the right to have rest and leisure, including playing and recreational activities.

Wish 2 in the Council

There is work taking place within Leeds City Council, lead by our ‘Wish Leads’, on Wish 2 right now. The short-term priorities are:

• To increase the number of new and regular play streets in Leeds.
• To influence key housing partners to make environments near to home more child friendly and playful.
• To embed the voice of children into neighbourhood planning, ensuring the needs of
  children are considered and responded to in a meaningful and impactful way.

The long-term priorities are:

• For all housing contractors to make new developments more playful, including children’s voice in planning and design.
• To develop new spaces in the city centre that are safe, welcoming and child friendly, with a particular focus on creating places for older children/teenagers.
• To have child friendly parks and green spaces – where we are making improvements and creating new play spaces and children involved in this process.

Download the Wish 2 badges to use in your e-signatures or on resources:

Highlights…

Leeds is the first place in England to carry out a ‘Play Sufficiency assessment’, but what is it?

The 22/23 year of Play Enabling Grants (PEG)

Urban95 – looking through the eyes of a three-year-old

Other blog posts on a similar topic…

• 
  Leeds Easter Holidays 2026: Child Friendly Things to do this Spring
• 
  Discover Leeds This Winter: Festive Fun for Children & Families 2025
• 
  Free & Low Cost Activities in Leeds Children’s Centres & Libraries for Baby Week 2025
• 
  *SCROLL DOWN TO BOOK*: Baby Week celebrates with Active Leeds with free & 50p events in leisure centres:
• 
  Everything to Play for – Leeds’ Role in the Raising the Nation Play Commission
• 
  The Play Revolution at East SILC John Jamieson!
• 
  Where are the safe spaces for young people in Leeds?
• 
  Open your road for play!

Play

Play Streets

How to organise a Play Street (toolkit)

Leeds is the first city in England to adopt the Play Sufficiency approach – but what does that mean?

What is playing out? (website)

Ludicology – the study of playfullness
(website)

What does the world look like from the height of a toddler?

Child Friendly Leeds Play website

Safe spaces

Walk Safe (app)

Find out about local groups run by Leeds Youth Service

Safe Places
(app)

New ‘safe zone’ in Leeds Bus Station

Ask for Angela in Trinity

Fearless – helping our streets feel safer

Leeds Youth Service

Leeds Youth Service aim to make communities safer through engagement, education and empowerment. They provide “issue based Youth Work […] with sessions focused on emotional and mental wellbeing, positive decision making, risk taking behaviours, sexual health, substance misuse, physical health, peer pressure, sports, fitness, participation and empowerment to name just a few.”